


Thalia’s First Summer

by stardustcookie



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Demigods, F/F, Fluff, Lesbian Thalia Grace, POV Alternating, thaliabeth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:00:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25227943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustcookie/pseuds/stardustcookie
Summary: Annabeth never expected Thalia to come back from the dead, but now that she has, they have some catching up to do.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Thalia Grace
Kudos: 19





	1. Thalia is No Longer a Tree

**Author's Note:**

> This is a post Sea of Monsters story I thought would be fun to write. It’s really the first F/F story I’ve written, and the first PJO story too, so any advice about writing is greatly appreciated.

Percy was tired. Two quests, in his first two years at Camp Half-Blood. He had expected attention, he was the only living child of one of the Big Three, after all. You could really see that it was taking a toll on him. Last year, he seemed bright, ready to do whatever was necessary to save his mother, but now, his olive skin had lost its signature glow. It seemed like he was tired of quests. I only followed because I was dying to go on a quest, but it ended up less exciting, and more taxing than I had expected.

Grover was up by Thalia’s Tree, trying to cure it of Luke’s poison using the Golden Fleece, a magical artefact that could seemingly heal anything. We were waiting down at the mess hall, eating. We intended to go and check on the progress in an hour or so. Percy always ate rather messily, and especially today. He was famished after returning, and was stuffing himself full of as much food and drink as would fit on his plate. Grover did the same, occasionally glancing over at me in confusion. I didn’t feel that hungry, but I wasn’t sure why. I sat quietly on the bench, across from Percy, my legs swaying back and forth. If not a quest, what did I need to fulfil this thirst for adventure I felt? 

I felt the stares of other campers. Since we’d been away for so long, we were the center of attention, all because of the quest. The camp depended on it, which meant they had depended on us. I felt that was the most exciting thing, the friends back at camp to share stories with when I returned from my heroic quest. Thing is, nobody but Percy and Grover really enjoyed my company, and they were there with me, so there was nothing I could tell that would be interesting or new to them. I wanted a friend, someone to laugh with. Maybe then, I would have fun at this camp. 

I heard a sound of hooves on gravel, and turned to see Chiron approaching the mess hall, waving with a glint in his eye. He was cantering down the track, it was evident he had just heard the news of our return. As he approached, Percy and Grover looked up from their meals, startled by the noise. They were still in battle mode, evidently. Strange, we hadn’t fought anyone in a while. Chiron approached, humming quietly.

”Congratulations, Percy. Our camp is grateful to you. The fleece has healed the tree, and the barrier is no longer crumbling as it was. “ Percy continued to eat his food. I looked at Chiron, as he didn’t look like he intended gratitude to the rest of us involved with the quest, even Clarisse, the one who had been appointed for the quest in the first place. Apparently, Percy was more important than the rest of us, because of his unique parentage. I never really liked Chiron, but I had to keep up appearances, as being in his favour was a good thing around here. Percy mumbled something, but I couldn’t make it out through the layer of spaghetti. Chiron nodded, as if he understood, and told Percy that a proper congratulatory gift would be given later. He trotted away.

Percy was always hungry, even just after a meal. He had a few weird things about him, like his tendency towards blue drinks, which I found odd. 

I wondered if Malcolm had been able to keep the cabin in order while I was away. His skills lied in literary expertise, not so much leadership under pressure. I’d have to go and check on him after that meal. I could see the tree on top of the hill gradually regaining its green needles, being healed by the Golden Fleece.

I returned to my cabin and set down my travel-bag. Clothes were strewn all over the floor, clearly Malcolm hadn’t been bothered to do bunk inspection. The bed was soft, just as I remembered it, and I sprawled out exhausted. Finally, I could rest without disturbance from Seaweed Brain. I stared up at the ceiling, a solid wooden structure, held up by gleaming marble. The sun was setting, so I managed to drift off to sleep without any difficulty.

A loud shout from outside jolted me awake. Someone outside the cabin was shouting my name. I lifted myself out of bed, to hear Grover shouting my name at the top of his lungs. It sounded more like an out-of-breath bleat the more I listened. I slipped on my jacket and my sneakers and ran outside. Grover was out there, panting. He pointed up towards Thalia’s Tree, struggling to catch his breath. 

“Thalia.. “ He struggled to get the words out of his mouth. “She’s alive,”

“What do you mean, she’s alive?” I retorted, as he grabbed my hand and began to pull me back towards the tree. Confused, I followed him, and quickly became out of breath as his goat legs could clearly outrun me. Somehow, I stayed close to him as we approached, to see Thalia’s body had detached from the tree.

For a moment, I couldn’t understand what was happening. Percy and Clarisse were already next to the tree, evidently they had been here when it happened, because they were trying to help her drink nectar to regain her strength. I stopped in my tracks, eyes wide. Could Thalia really be back, or was this just a trick? The last time I saw her was when she had been.. I didn’t even want to think about it. She looked older than she did, as if she had kept growing while she was a tree, about my age, much younger than she would’ve been.

I didn’t know what I was feeling. Was this fear, or anger? It was mostly confusion, and I was mad at Thalia for being a tree for that long. I guessed it was the fleece that brought her back, but I didn’t understand why. Why now, of all times, the time when Percy was destined to be the hero of the prophecy? She would be mad to find out that someone else had stolen her spilt as the only child of the Big Three. And Luke, what would we tell her about Luke?

She coughed, and her eyes fluttered open. They darted around, eventually settling on Grover, who was holding a straw close to her mouth. She used the straw to consume some nectar, the first thing she had eaten in years. Blood returned to her face, rubbing away the pale slumber of her skin. She had always had a tanned glow, skin that I envied. She smiled, and said “What took you so long?”

Grover looked at Thalia compassionately. Tears were falling from his eyes. ”We thought you were gone”

He held out his hand, and Thalia grabbed it, pulling herself up to a sitting position. Roots cracked away from her sides where they had been enveloping her, and the tree creaked loudly. I noticed my eyes were watery, and wiped it away with my sleeve. Thalia was really back, I couldn’t really wrap my head around it.

She struggled to her feet, her muscles appearing to be in good condition, and saw me. She cocked her head, then stumbled towards me. She wrapped her arms around me. Somehow, after all these years, she was still taller than me. Her head rested on my shoulder as she whispered to me

”Annie, I’ve missed you.” These words coming from her mouth sounded heartfelt, for a moment her punk rock attitude had melted away, and she felt like she wanted a friend. I tried to reply, but she was squeezing me too tight. When she released he grasp, I gasped for breath, tears flowing down my face. I missed Thalia so much, she was the only one who really made me feel at home. Even when we were on the run, sleeping rough. As long as Thalia was there, I was safe.

Grover explained to Clarisse who Thalia even was, and most of the campers decided to tell the news to everyone in the morning, when everyone was properly rested. I led Thalia to the Zeus cabin, where she should’ve been sleeping. We received a few weird looks from campers outside past their bedtime, but nobody intervened. The bed was already made, as it always was in the Zeus cabin. The walls and floors were gleaming marble, because despite its vacancy, the cabin had been regularly cleaned. Thalia sat down on the silken sheets, and gasped them with her hand. The scars on her knuckles were still very much visible, and I wondered if she still had her other injuries from when we were on the run. By the looks of her, she was about fourteen or fifteen, way closer to my age than she had been. 

I turned to leave, wishing Thalia goodnight. “Annie, I’m sorry.” She called out to me from the bed, and I turned around. “I wasn’t there for you and Luke when you got to Camp. You’ve been brave, I can see that.” I wanted to stay with Thalia, to never leave her side again. She had been away for too long.

”Stay”. She reached out and took my hand, and looked at me, as if to say “It’s all going to be okay.” My mind was blank, I felt safe with her, and I didn’t want to return to Cabin 6 that night. I sat down beside Thalia and pressed my head against the freshly washed pillow. This cabin was by far the best, and now I sorta had an excuse to sleep in here without being disrespectful to Zeus Himself. Thalia laid down beside me, and I looked at her bright blue eyes. “Just like her father’s” I thought to myself, though associating Thalia with him wasn’t a very pleasant thought.

Now that Thalia was back, what did that mean for the prophecy? Could Percy not be the hero? If Thalia was the hero, that would be nice, but I felt like I didn’t want to put her in danger with any prophecies or anything. She could just stay at camp with me, relaxing and living a good life, as not the root of a tree, with me by her side. That would be nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my hand hurt so much after writing this because the keyboard on the iPad is rly big and my hand has to move around a lot ow anyways y’all better appreciate this


	2. Annabeth helped to bring me back from to dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a chapter from Thalia’s POV, directly following the first

Annabeth fell asleep staring into my eyes. She was clearly tired, as it was the middle of the night. I couldn’t sleep, so I just stared at her, remembering when she used to curl up in my arms when we were both kids. I think I was about 18 at the time, but my body felt like it had aged slower, and a quick glance in the mirror told me I was about fourteen. Same as Annabeth, I guessed. I had seen Grover, but he hadn’t wanted to speak to me. Maybe he felt like he was at fault for my father’s solutions. Being trapped inside the bark of a tree, semi-conscious, and having nothing to do was insanely boring.

Sleeping on a clean bed felt amazing compared to the sleeping bags that Luke and I used, and Annabeth was warm as usual, her golden locks mostly covering her face. She had kept it the same as when we were kids. My hair hadn’t grown, which I dismissed as just strange. It kept its black sheen, though I would need to run a brush through it at some point. I covered Annabeth with a blanket and hopped out of the bed, being careful not to make a noise on the tiled floor. 

I exited the cabin, and despite it being dark, I could make out the outlines of the cabins. A few of them were well-built with amazing designs of tridents, one with the rod of Asclepius, and there it was, a cadeceus, stuck by what looked like parcel tape to the door frame of a very large cabin. This is where I assumed Luke would be, because occasionally he had told me about his father being the jack of all trades god, Hermes. It seemed quiet, though, most of the campers were sleeping. I approached the door, and it freaked open. Many of the campers were sleeping on the floor, and the noise stirred a few. I took care to avoid waking them, and scanned their faces for any sign of Luke. 

He wasn’t there, and there wasn’t an empty bed. I though he must’ve been long gone, maybe he had aged out of the camp, since he must’ve been that old by now. I didn’t recognise anyone here, so I stepped back towards the door. A guy was there waiting for me, with crossed arms. I hadn’t noticed him leave his bed, let alone get next to the door.

”What could anyone possibly want to steal from the Hermes cabin? If you’re looking for valuables, 10 is across the pavilion. They have stacks and stacks of jewellery, nobody would notice it was gone.”

I tried to push past him and leave, but my muscles still weren’t back to their original strength. He held the back of my collar.

”Shove off” I said. It sounded weird leaving my mouth. Who even was this kid? Had Luke grown up to look like this?

”I’m Travis. This is my cabin, and you’re sounding a little rude right now. Wait, are you..” Travis stopped, and released his grip.

”Seriously, you’re back? Thalia? Nice. You look younger than I would’ve expected.” He seemed to know about me, possibly from Luke himself, so I felt I should ask him some questions.

”Where’s Luke?” I asked, putting on my best angry face. He seemed scared enough.

”Luke? He defected, joined Kronos. Did you not hear?”At hearing this, I was a little mad myself. At Travis, but at Luke especially. I never expected Luke to do anything rash like that, he was hardly the betraying type. I just hoped that I wouldn’t have to see him again if whatever he was saying was true. Travis stepped aside as I left the cabin, overall unamused that I ever intended to find Luke in there. I went to return to Cabin 1, feeling like waiting until morning to do anything else. Annabeth was still laying on my bed, so I wrapped my arms around her and tried my best to drift off to sleep.

The next morning came relatively quickly, and I was awoken by Annabeth lifting my arms off of her. She looked at me, gleefully, and rolled onto her back. It looked like she had slept well. Good for her. I stretched my arms and got out of bed, my hair looking even more of a mess than last night. Thankfully, Annabeth had a pack of toiletries set aside for me, and I managed to wash out all of the sap that was adhered to my hair. Disgusting. We left and headed to the mess hall for breakfast, where Annabeth and I sat at the Zeus table. I didn’t want to be sat alone on my first day, and she seemed to understand well enough. 

”You know, Thalia, a lot has happened while you were gone.” Annabeth said. I knew this, because years can’t pass without life-changing things happening. I had noticed two boys sat at the Poseidon table, one of them a Cyclops. That was the strangest thing, but I paid it no mind, instead electing to return to the buffet for more cereal. 

I dismissed her, and kept eating ravenously. She looked at me, confused. 

”What, I’m really hungry!” I retorted, not sure what she was confused about. She merely averted her gaze, shifting off towards the White House near the edge of camp. The bacon was good though, a good thing to put in my system after however long it had been. Little Annie seemed distant today, as if there was something she didn’t want to tell me. It was because of her that I was back, and I was super thankful. I hesitated to ask where my possessions were, because I really wanted to listen to some music right now. Annie always felt better after I started to vibe to music. She said I stopped looking so tense, and looked more playful.

A lot of the campers were watching me cautiously, averting their gazes whenever I spotted them. Trotting approached the marble steps. This was probably the camp director that Luke talked about, Chiron. He probably had news of some kind, likely about me, so I sighed. Annabeth looked up from moving her food around her plate. 

”Today marks an eventful day for the camp. First of all, congratulations to Percy.. and Clarisse for retrieving the Golden Fleece.” Clarisse seemed like an afterthought in his speech. 

”Sevondly, our beloved camper, the daughter of Zeus, Thalia was healed, and no longer resides in her pine tree. There she is now!” He bellowed, waving to me. He just had to bring attention to me, didn’t he. 

A few campers turned their heads, I crossed my arms and glared at them. What was so exciting? They knew I was back already, why didn’t they just move on with their lives?


	3. Annie clearly needs a friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> literally just one thirty second sword drill

After breakfast was over, she ended up leading me to the weapon rach. I didn't really want to be led anywhere, but she knew her way around camp better than I did. She walked with a skip in her step, I noticed, which was new from yesterday. Usually, her constant cheery attitude made me sick to my very core, but today was somehow different. Today, I was going to try and be a good friend to Annabeth.

She threw me a hairband to tie back my hair, but I didn't feel the need. All of the swords on the rack felt heavy when picked up, nothing like the knife I used to use. I figured a grown-up needs a grown-up weapon, so I picked up one of the lighter swords, trying to give it a few practice swings before we started. My arm was less coordinated, but that was something we could work on. Annabeth took a precautionary step back, I guess she figured how inexperienced I was with a Celestial Bronze weapon this big. I heard her giggle, which made me laugh too. She was cute when she laughed.

Apparently, Annabeth saw me looking at her, because she regained her neutral expression and started to tie back her golden locks. She already had a sword picked out, I guessed it was hers because the initials AC were written on the hilt in permanent marker. Defacing of camp property, not the little Annie I knew. She wrapped the scabbard around her waist, tightening the leather strap as she told me to follow her inside the armory.

"We'll need to find some armor that fits you," she said. "I'm guessing you aren't a small any more." I would let her off for that comment just this once, since it felt like I had grown quite a bit. She helf up a leather tunic, and it looked surprisingly small, so it was returned to the box. Annie knew her size, I guessed, as she was already wearing combat-ready gear. In fact, I hadn't seen her in casual clothes for a while.

I grabbed the bottom of my shirt and pulled it over my head. Annabeth looked away, blushing profusely as I donned the next size up to the one she had shown me. It felt tight, yet comfortable. Relatively flexible around my shoulders and I could rotate my torso easily. It seemed like it would be good for combat. She looked around again at me.

"I was wearing a vest, Annie. You don't have to be constantly embarrased by whatever I do." I put on my friendliest smile, and she groaned. We left the cupboard that was the armory and walked out to the center of the field. A great spot for combat practice, I thought. I knew she wouldn't really hurt me with the sword, she wasn't that type of friend. She would definitely be much more talented than me, though, given the years ahead of me she was in training.

"Go easy." I said, holding my sword out towards her.

"I want to see what you can do, first," Annie replied, as we started to circle each other. Her stance was familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. She was focused on my sword, as if scanning it. I expected her to thrust hers forward at any moment, so I stayed in a defensive position. Wielding a sword like a knife felt weird, but it was all I knew and it seemed to be working fine.

She jabbed her sword forwards towards my chest. I twisted my blade to block her attack, and the body of her sword found its way to mine’s hilt. She forced it down, forcing my weapon from my hands. She twisted around, sweeping me off my feet and tumbling to the ground. I felt her sword close to the center of my throat, as quick as I could regain my senses. She was smart.

”You have a lot to learn,” She giggled, kneeling down over me, a stray lock of hair stroking my face. Her sword hit the ground by my side, and she extended a hand to help me up.   
I grabbed her hand. I guess my strength had just returned to my arms, because I pulled upwards and she toppled onto the soft grass. 

”You aren’t funny, dumbass!” I rested my head on the ground, laughing quietly and clutching my abdomen where she had hit me with the hilt of her sword. I thought I was pretty funny, and she seemed to think so too, since she was struggling to contain her laughter. 

I thought about the stance she used. Luke’s. His disarming move, too. Was everything she learned from the guy that just left camp for some long shot treason? No matter. As long as I knew what was coming, and how to handle a sword, I could take little Annie. She lifted herself off of the floor, and I followed, picking my sword back up from the floor. 


End file.
